Eddie Trunk: Zero Chance That Alex Van Halen Appears at A Sammy Hagar Show

Sammy Hagar has been trying to reconnect with Alex Van Halen for quite some time, especially in the lead-up to his 2024 "The Best of All Worlds" tour. Hagar mentioned that he has reached out to Alex multiple times via phone, text, and email, but has received no response. Despite these efforts, it seems unlikely that Alex Van Halen will make any appearances during the tour.
Hagar has publicly invited both Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth to join him on stage, expressing that the tour is about celebrating Van Halen's legacy. However, there hasn't been any indication that Alex will take part, especially since Alex has been distant and reportedly even sold his equipment, signaling that he doesn't plan to join the tour​.
Check out Van Halen live, proshot. Hot For Teacher:
• Van Halen Hot For Teac...
Stay tuned to Real Music News for the latest updates in the music world! We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews, and in-depth coverage of your favorite artists and genres. Subscribe for daily content and never miss a beat!

[@CusterFlux]

The 'Disease' model only works so far, past a point - it's just glorified enabling.

[@anz2441]

Sammy is shallow !! Alcoholism is real..certain things you dont air..you keep it to urself !!

[@brentjeralds777]

Yeah but when you know your " friend" has alcoholism and you keep pouring tequila at him... Who enabled what???

[@gokhanersan8561]

I remember the arrogance of Al in the mid-90s when he let his brother-in-law take over the band’s management. Al listened to this man, Ray. They brought in a singer from another band Ray managed and effectively ended Van Halen. 30 years were wasted with no new relevant music coming. They did a disastrous reunion in 2004; three nostalgia tours with voiceless Dave. All we’ve got is music from 1978-96.

[@walterevans2118]

Well that’s the war of perspectives between Sammy and Alex on Ray Daniels role in the band’s management. Sammy’s contention was that Ray Daniels weaponised Edward against him setting them both on a terrible collision course….Alex’s assertion was that Sammy had too much power in the band and Ray Daniels was trying to stop this…(Paul)

[@gokhanersan8561]

@@walterevans2118 Fans were watching, in disbelief, the bad decisions the band was making one after another. Firing Sammy for the underwhelming performance of Balance and the Twister soundtrack. Hiring a singer from a defunct band to lure the young crowd. Making an album that sounded a cross between Smashing Pumpkins and Chili Peppers. They should’ve kept Sammy on board, and once the grunge fad died out, gotten back on the scene. They would have been around to make new music together. By the way, where is Ray now?

[@walterevans2118]

@@gokhanersan8561 Well, yes,,, things did go very unpredictable back then....The VH lead vocalist spot became a game of Musical Chairs. & the band seemed to lose any sense of unified direction & cohesion. (Paul)

[@gokhanersan8561]

@@walterevans2118 Grunge truly disrupted things. AC/DC managed to release relevant new music after grunge. Deep Purple kept releasing ok albums. ZZ Top was hit or miss. Hard rock fell from the mainstream. When the bands came back (Journey, Def Leppard, etc) they were confined to doing Greatest Hits tours. Where is grunge now? Well, it served like a lab virus, incapacitated rock’n’roll, and made teeny-bopper music reign supreme for 2.5 decades. Hats off to Seattle needle-exchangers lol.

[@americanmess]

@@walterevans2118 Ray did a bad job.

[@streamofconsciousness5826]

Sammy has been talking s h i t about Eddie since he passed, why would Alex want anything to do with him.

[@realmusicnews]

@@streamofconsciousness5826 Sammy talks too much. He threw Eddie under the bus.

[@streamofconsciousness5826]

@@realmusicnews He also has/had a post up about how he got his first real Guitar, he was loitering around his small town Music Shop, and when the owner went into the back because he trusted this kid from town, he took a LesPaul and left town. No follow up where he went back to fix it once he made money. And he tells the story like it's normal and everything worked out for him so it's alright. A LesPaul is and always has been the most Expensive Guitar, he could have bankrupted a mom and pop shop doing that. Cheers!

[@noelstaar]

Eddie Trunk wanted to interrupt the caller to indicate that he already knew and that he knew more than the caller actually

[@realmusicnews]

Yeah, I kind of wish that he didn’t interrupt them because I would’ve liked to have heard the rest of the story.

[@mooch514]

Eddie stops the call. He has to move on. Then rambles on for another 45 minutes about it and he knows everything and is "friends" with those guys!😅

[@musicstream26]

​@@realmusicnewsI'm the caller. Thanks. I think Eddie cut me off because he's friends with Sammy and didn't want me taking negatively about Hagar. He didn't interrupt when I was speaking negatively about DLR. 😆 Had some good stuff to say.

[@musicstream26]

​@@mooch514I'm the caller. Good point. I was frustrated that he cut me off. Eddie is friends with Hagar and was probably uncomfortable that I was going negative on Hagar.

[@realmusicnews]

@@musicstream26 We heard that part of the conversation as well.

[@johnmarino7200]

Alcoholism is about choice and will power, it's not a disease. You can quit drinking you can't quit cancer

[@SvenTviking]

It’s self inflicted and doesn’t excuse bad behaviour. EVH was a nasty drunk, obviously.

[@walterevans2118]

@@SvenTvikingIt is about choice and willpower in terms of free will overcoming determinism but trying to understand WHY people drink as a strategy to prevent them from destroying themselves is NOT trying to ‘excuse’ their behaviour either. Explaining is not ‘excusing’ and people mustn’t rush into self righteous value judgemental conclusions like ‘he was a nasty drunk’. We need more empathy and better humanity than that because some people have no idea how difficult it can be to free themselves from the lifetime long grip of alcohol like Edward had to. And thanks to help from Wolfgang after 2008 Ed SUCCEEDED. (Paul)

[@mrdougefresh]

Like lung cancer?

[@jubal238]

Are you a medical professional? The AMA says alcoholism is a disease, so I'll go with what the pros say.

[@slimsantilli4476]

As a cancer survivor, I can confirm that calling alcoholism a disease is total BS.

[@johnmcmahonBXLA]

I had lunch with Al last Tuesday He’s vegan now.

[@americanmess]

@@johnmcmahonBXLA 😆

[@Ohgeez-l8c]

What did he order?

[@Ohgeez-l8c]

@@musicstream26 did you talk about Sammy or Dave?

[@musicstream26]

@Ohgeez-l8c always. Lol. He still likes Dave but not Sammy because of what Sam wrote about Edward in his book. That's why he won't talk to Sammy. But, Al is doing great; he keeps busy; and is a lot of laughs. His book is gonna be very interesting and good.

[@musicstream26]

@@Ohgeez-l8c he's vegan. He likes kale salads. Acai bowls.

[@belotface]

Sammy has talked so much shit about VH for the past 10 years. I can't blame Alex one bit.

[@realmusicnews]

He sure has. Thanks for watching!

[@musicstream26]

I'm the caller. Coincidentally, I was just sitting with Alex and showed him this. LOL!

[@realmusicnews]

@@musicstream26 What did Alex say? 😄

[@musicstream26]

@@realmusicnews Confirmed that I'm right that he's not showing up to any Sammy gigs. Al's moved on. He's in great spirits and keeps busy with his wife on a lot of stuff. We have a lot of laughs. But, he's not ever gonna do anything with Hagar after what he wrote about Ed in his book. Al will probably be doing some interviews when his book comes out in October.

[@realmusicnews]

@@musicstream26I don’t blame Alex. Sammy talks too much.

[@manhalen7046]

It makes sense. They were very close and to have a chatterbox like Hagar (even though to him it was no big deal and he was just "talking") reveal how Eddie was on that last tour.............. And then to have Eddie pass.................... I'm sure Eddie forgave him but that doesnt mean Alex did. Hope Alex is doing good, we love him and thank him for all of the great music.

[@GaryClark-qy5yy]

No Kidding

[@walterevans2118]

I think the reason why ALEX might have changed his mind about doing anything with DLR is because Roth started to attack Alex's nephew WOLFGANG and Alex knows his brother would be angry about that......In fact Edward would have gone for him.... DLR seeks attention and will do ANYTHING to generate it including stirring up needless conflict with calculating & cruel methods.....Or to 'paraphrase' - 'Rabid Lee Froth will stir up a broth to draw attention to himself like a candle to a moth' ......DLR thrives on conflicts & will create divisions...... Alex is astute & he would have intuited this. In fact he would remember it from decades ago (If Steven Rosen's 1985 Alex interviews are anything to go by) (Paul)

[@realmusicnews]

@@walterevans2118 Yes ,that may be one of the reasons. Thanks for the comment!

[@musicstream26]

Thats not why. DLR said that stuff about Wolfie this year. The tribute tour was discussed years ago. It fell apart cause Dave is impossible to deal with. Could actually be considered mental illness. Dave told Alex he didn't want any mention of Ed or any pictures/videos of Ed at the tribute to Ed. All about DAVE. Didn't sit to well with Alex. Downhill from there. LOL

[@walterevans2118]

@@musicstream26 Ah yes, sorry....I could have got my timeline wrong on this...Indeed ....Yes, The Roth attacks on Wolf are RECENT but the tribute tour Alex discussed with DLR was WAY EARLIER. I remember now. And it involved a bassist from another band....DLR told ALEX that there were to be NO pictures or vids of ED ??.. & NO MENTION of him ??.....That's just off the Planet LOONY TUNE ....& shows a total absence of Empathy for Alex.....Recently Stephen Hawking's theoretical models of Big Bang Cosmological origin have been challenged because Rabid Lee Froth's EGO has been found to be the SIZE of the UNIVERSE. 🙄 (Paul)

[@walterevans2118]

@@musicstream26 Mr. Roth claimed that he and Alex were ‘laughing like Pirates’ on the phone 📞 but that must have stopped suddenly when poor Alex realised that the guys agenda was total self promotion rather than commemorating Edward’s life and work…..’Somewhere, over the Rainbow Bar and Grill,,,,Well my head’s grown BIGGER than ALL ELSE and I guess it ALWAYS WILL’ ! 🙄 (Paul)

[@denisecaccese830]

Who cares if Alex showed up or not. I would not even bother with him anymore if I were sammy.

[@realmusicnews]

@@denisecaccese830 well it’s unfortunate that Alex couldn’t put together a tribute tour with Roth but what can you do. I wish Alex well and I’m looking forward to his book.

[@bitadanger]

As a Van Halen fan, I don’t give a shit if Alex plays or not. Think about it, Alex has never played with anyone but Eddie and probably never will. I think it’s more that than anything to do with Sammy! Rock on Sam😊

[@realmusicnews]

@@bitadanger that’s true! He has never been on stage without his brother Eddie.

[@DeepSeaDv]

@@realmusicnews and that's just sad

[@adamfindlay7091]

Some famed people dont get: positive or negative, one doesnt get to control what the public will think of you. Not the way it works.

[@musicstream26]

But that doesn't mean Hagar should have exploited Ed and his disease to sell books and profit.

[@70brine]

Sammy kept talking trash on Eddie and Alex as well. He can’t or shouldn’t expect that people are always going to forgive and forget just because he want to.

[@realmusicnews]

@@70brine Sammy talks way too much.

[@tmk128]

He was fired for no apparent reason , the brothers went to MTV and lied right to the family , as well as Kurt Loder , go take a look .

[@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973]

When my brother died I found that there were certain things he and I had always done together that I just didn't even want to do anymore because the foremost thing in my mind was always my brother's absence. We would get some beers and go fishing all day and then jam in the garage all night. I haven't been fishing once since he passed away 3 years ago this past July. I still play my instruments but haven't played in that garage even once. We bought a 1970 Nova to work on and take to the drag track in Cincinnati and I gave it to my son this past year. Have driven it a couple times but I haven't taken it to the track once since his passing. It really leaves a hole in your life when you lose the person who is most like you out of anyone in the world. I have gotten on with life thanks to my kids but some things I just don't want to do without my brother. It's something one has to experience to really understand.

[@realmusicnews]

@@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973 Thank you for sharing this story with us, and we offer our sincere condolences.

[@walterevans2118]

Sorry to hear about your Brother 😔🙏 Yes, you'd need to experience this to understand. Thanks for telling us your story... (Paul)

[@walterevans2118]

@@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973 It must be like an association of memories which connected you and your brother and it’s very hard to put yourself back into that shared personal space back in time …Because to occupy that space NOW would somehow feel incomplete. As if something critical was missing…Reminding me of those moving words of poetry -‘Into my heart an air that kills from yon far country blows …What are those blue remembered hills ? What spires , what farms are those ? …That is the land of lost content. I see it shining plain. The happy highways where we went. And cannot come again. 😥🙏 (Paul)

[@masshultzy6449]

I don't agree one bit with Sammy for writing that book. He shouldn't have. But in Sammy's defense, he helped pick VH off the ground when DLR pulled the rug out from under the band and left them hanging! Then, Sammy gets a phone call and is told essentially "Your Fired". I'm sure Sammy felt betrayed when they done him that way. Nevertheless, he shouldn't have told so many secrets. That should have been "Band Confidential". I do however believe that the VH brothers are or can be backstabbers. Neither Sammy or the VH Brothers are perfect! They are Human.

[@realmusicnews]

@@masshultzy6449 Or did VH fire Roth???

[@masshultzy6449]

@@realmusicnews You know that is so weird. One interview they say he just didn't show up for rehearsal and in another interview they say he was fired for the solo stuff he did while he was still in VH. Who knows what or who to believe anymore. One thing thing is for sure though, almost everyone is mad at the way the VH brothers treated Michael Anthony!

[@realmusicnews]

@@masshultzy6449 Billy Sheehan said in an interview once that Dave was actually fired and didn’t quit. In my opinion, I believe that Van Halen and Roth signed a deal where they gave Dave the stage show and some other kind of buyout in exchange that he had to say he quit the band.

[@masshultzy6449]

@@realmusicnews I think you're right. It was told that the VH Bros. were really pissed at Dave for recording the solo stuff and warned him of consequences. Evidently he plowed forward and was released. The latter part of your statement could very well be true. Very interesting statement....

[@masshultzy6449]

BTW haven't seen RMN on here before. Seems interesting. I subscribed.

[@user-th3dl8gl4o]

Get over it .its been years.everyone dies.no reason they couldn't get an awesome tribute concert together. I don't want to hear oh but it would be too hard. Everybody deals with death

[@mooch514]

Sammy hagar is such an ego maniac. He is full of himself. And is not a nice guy

[@mhitson7483]

Sure has a lot of friends though

[@realmusicnews]

Do you know Sammy?

[@Michael-nf1ej]

Who cares? No one. Sammy and the boys are out there kicking ass!

[@scottflanagan5456]

Exactly Sammy didn't need Van Halen they needed him. Alex would have been a nobody without his brother

[@musicstream26]

​@scottflanagan5456 why the hate on Alex? He's one of the greatest rock drummers ever.

[@scottflanagan5456]

@@musicstream26 Yeah ok

[@walterevans2118]

I celebrate that Sammy, Mike, Joe & Jason are out there playing great versions of Edward's great music. This stuff needs to be played LIVE for new and old audiences alike. But I'm WORRIED if this tour is upsetting ALEX 😔 (Paul)

[@walterevans2118]

@@musicstream26 Yes. They SHOULDN'T do that.

[@scottflanagan5456]

Who's cares what Alex says he's a nobody without his brother.

[@walterevans2118]

BULLSHIT ....Alex was an INSPIRATION to his young brother when they were kids (being a better sight reader than Ed) ...Ed looked up to Alex and in the preface of his chapter in the Guitar Institute of Technology book TEN Edward said - 'I WOULD NEVER BE PLAYING THE WAY I DO WITHOUT MY BROTHER'. Alex was a guiding light who looked out for Edward with concern in ways mentalities like Monk & Roth NEVER did. He taught Edward to believe in himself. Alex would say to Edward - 'Forget all the roth stage hype stuff. The Audience cheer the LOUDEST Ed when YOU JUST STAND THERE & PLAY' ! .....Ed & Alex were a creative & supportive UNIT. Make no mistake about that. That's not a 'nobody' . That's a SOMEBODY in letters TEN MILES HIGH. Be sure to educate yourself by reading Alex's book which is coming out in 2 months. (Paul)

[@scottflanagan5456]

@@walterevans2118 We get it you have a hard on for Alex. Move on because I couldn't give two shits

[@marvinmartin3438]

Alex can't play anymore. He's wired 24/7. He's a wreck

[@realmusicnews]

@@marvinmartin3438 Really?

[@musicstream26]

​@@realmusicnewsAlex never did coke. He's been sober since 1987. He's a vegan. He's doing great. I saw him this week.

[@musicstream26]

Alex never did coke; has been sober since 1987 and he's a vegan. You're kinda nuts.

[@walterevans2118]

@@musicstream26 They just INVENT rubbish musinstream . & they have the audacity to call themselves 'FANS' ...poor Alex must be fed up with them .

[@musicstream26]

@@walterevans2118 he doesn't read KZbin comments. He's not fed up. He's enjoying life with his wife.

[@stephenedgecock]

Gary Cherone was the best singer for the Van Halen

[@realmusicnews]

Thank you for watching!